Shaft-coupling.



J. KENNEDY.- SHAFT COUPLING.

APPLICATION FILED AUG. 2, 1913.

1,112,219. Patented Sept. 29, 1914.

2 SHEETS-SHEETI.

INVENTOR/ WITN ESSES wymq N I JULIAN KENNEDY, OF PITTSBURGH,PENNSYLVANIA.

SHAFT-COUPLING.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Sept. 29, 1914.

Application filed August 2, 1913. Serial No. 782,682.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JULIAN KENNEDY, a citizen of the United States,residing at Pittsburgh, in the county of Allegheny and .State ofPennsylvania, have invented a new and useful Improvement inShaft-Couplings, of which the following is a full,

'clear, and exact description, reference being had to the accompanyingdrawings, forming part of-. this specification, in which- Figure 1 is aside elevation of a shaft coupling embodying my invention; Fig. 2 is asection on the line 11-11 of Fig. 1; Fig. 3 is a section on the lineIIIIII of Fig. 1; Fig. 4 is a detail view showing one set of the linkconnections, the sections being taken on the line IV-IV of Fig. 2; and

Fig. 5 is a plan view on a smaller scale of the coupling with the linkconnections and the equalizing bar removed.

y invention has relation to shaft couplings and has been moreparticularly designed to provide a shaft coupling for engine shaftssuitable for use on rolling mills and for other heavy work, but isapplicable as a shaft coupling for various purposes.

The object of my invention is to provide a simple and strong couplingcapable of transmitting large power and which will take care of want ofalinement between the shaft sections. Also to provide a coupling of thischaracter which will shorten the space between the engine and themachine or mill to be driven, and allow the engine to p be set closelyadjacent to the mill or machine; also to provide a coupling of thischaracter which is so cqnstructed that when certain of the parts areremoved, the remaining parts attached to the driving side of thecoupling can rotate without interference with the parts attached to thedriven side of the coupling.

The nature of my invention will be best understood by reference to thedrawings, in which Ihave shown the preferred embodiment thereof, andAVlllCh will now be described, it being premised, however, that variouschanges may be made in the details of construction and arrangement ofthe parts, without departing from the spirit and scope of my invention,as defined in the appended claims.

In these drawings, the numeral 2 designates the engine crank shaft, and3 the shaft .right angles to each other,

to be coupled to and driven by the engine crank shaft. Rigidly keyed toeach of said shafts is a coupling arm 4 or 4, thefwo arms 4 and 4* beingshown as extending at and with their end portions projecting radiallyfrom the shafts.

Pivotally connected, as by a pin 5, with the outer end of each arm ofeach coupling flange is a link 6. The four links 6 are arranged in twopairs, and the outer ends of adjacent links are pivotally connected, asby pins 7, wlth the end portions of an equalizing bar 8. This equalizingbar extends diametrically between the separated inner ends of the shafts2 and 3, and its axis bisects approximately the angle formed-by the twocoupling arms. The pins 5 preferably each have a driving fit. in one ofthe conpling arms, with caps 9 secured thereto, while the pins 7 aresecured by the nuts 10. The ends of the links are preferably forked orbifurcated to embrace the end portions of the equalizing bar.

With couplings of this character, it is fre quently desirable to be ableto rotate portions of the coupling attached to the engine shaft at timeswhen the coupling is disconnected and the driving shaft is idle.Inasmuch as the pins 5 which connect the links to the coupling membersor arms 4 and 4 are permanently secured in said members or arms, ifthese pins be arranged at points equidistant on radial lines from thelongitudinal center of the coupling, they will interfere to such anextent that the arms or member on the engine shaft can not rotatefreely. To avoid this diliiculty, I .place the pins 5 which connect thelinks with one of these arms at a different radial distance from thelongitudinal center of the coupling from the pins which connect thelinksto the other of said arms. This difference in radial distances issufficient so that the two sets of pins will rotate in independentconcentric circular paths freely and without interference. For thispurpose, I have shown the arm 4 as being considerably shorter than thearm 4. By removing the connecting links and equalizer bar, the engineshaft and its attached arm can rotate freely'without engaging the arm onthe driven shaft. This is of importance in many instances, as in makingrepairs to the engine shaft, bearings, etc., and where it is desired tostart up the engine and run it for testing purposes before it is coupledto the driven shaft.

The advantages of my inventionwill be readily apparent since it providesa simple and efiicient coupling capable of transmitting lar e power andwhich is made sufliciently exible by the arrangement of links andequalizing bar to accommodate itself to changes in the 'alinemen't ofthe two shafts or shaft sections which are coupled thereto.

and an equalizing member connecting the pairs of links between the endsof the shaft members, substantially as described.

2. In a shaft coupling, the combination of two shaft members to becoupled, a transverse coupling member rigidly secured to each shaftmember, projecting pins carried by the coupling members and lying in thesame transverse plane, the pins of one coupling member being locatedfarther from the coupling center than the pins of the other couplingmember by a distance sufiicient to allow one set of pins passing theother set, when one shaft member is rotated relatively to the othershaft member, links connected to the sets of pins, and an equalizingconnection between the links, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof, I have hereunto set my hand.

JULIAN KENNEDY.

Witnesses:

ALICE M. GODFREY, H. W. Euro.

